Saya Sakakibara ranks 3rd at the worlds
Saya Sakakibara Race report
BMX World Championships - Copenhagen
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Race: World Championships
Class: 12 Girls
Result: 3rd
Weather: It was raining the first week of our trip but when it came to
practice and racing, it was great weather.
Course condition: Great track. No negatives at all. Smooth, great corners.
Sponsors
Redline, Skins, Blackman Bicycles, Time, Champion System
Race summary
This race is the biggest race of the year. Lots of riders from all over the world come
along to race. This world championship is the biggest since Paris, France in 2005.
Everyone was training for hard this and it isn’t right if you weren’t nervous.
There were twenty-four girls in my age group and they all looked so tall and they
didn’t look like twelve year olds. “There are going to be some good competition
today” I thought.
On my first moto, I had lane two. I had a very bad start but I had enough speed to
jump the first step up. I cased. On the first straight, I was in second and Sanne
Vollenberg a Nertherland girl was in front. On the second straight, I wasn’t getting
the manuals right and I was launching off jumps and it wasn’t very good. On the third
straight, I caught up to Sanne on the outside and I high-lowed her. I was so close to
getting first but I came second.
On the second moto, I had lane seven. I had a good start this time and I was
pedalling and pedalling. When I got up to the first jump, my pedals weren’t in the
right place so I went sketchy and BANG! I crashed!! I was carried off the track on a
stretcher. I was bruised all over and had a grazed chin. My helmet was cracked I and
wasn’t feeling very good.
Luckily I was just about OK for the last moto, I had lane four. I had a good start but I
didn’t pedal that hard down the start hill because I was too scared. I pumped over it
good but I launched off the back side off it. But I was in second. On the second
straight, I got through it much better than the first moto. So I actually caught up with
Sanne again. On the third straight, I pumped through it hard but it didn’t feel as fast
that time but I still caught up with Sanne. I tried a high- low on her again but it didn’t
get first. I got second.
My semi final was very nerve racking because if I didn’t come in the top four, I would
not get into the final and would not get a world plate!! I had lane five. I had a pretty
good start and I came out in front. My way of going over the first jump wasn’t very
good so the two Netherland girls got in front of me. I was in third. I was catching up
on the second straight but I cased my manual so I fell behind again. My third straight
wasn’t as good this race but no one caught up to me so I came third and made it to
the final.
On my FINAL I had lane six. As my name got called out, I was so nervous and I really
wanted this race to be over! “Riders ready watch the gate....Pipipipiii BAM!” The
gate was down the crowd goes wild. I can hear it in the background of my thinking
noise when I race. I had a really good start and I moved to the inside. I was in second
as I went over the first and second jump. But when I got up to the triple, I failed the
manual and Vieta Petersone the Latvia girl came up the inside and she got into
second. Sae Hatakeyama the Japanese girl was in first. I was trying as hard as I can to
get those pedals around in circles to get the extra boost. My second straight wasn’t
as good as I thought it would be because I cased the manual again. I lost some speed
then. On the second corner, I was going to get some speed to catch up to Vieta so I
can have a chance to get second. I didn’t catch up at all. I pedalled as hard as I can to
catch up but there was no chance. I came third.
I was happy to get third and disappointed at the same time that I did not get first .
Anyway it was great racing.
